1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as, for example, a tape deck, a tape recorder or a VTR, which includes a cassette holder or carriage which is movably mounted in the apparatus for movement between a loading or eject position opening outwardly of the apparatus and a recording or reproducing position within the apparatus, and, more particularly, to such an apparatus which includes means for automatically returning the cassette holder from its recording or reproducing position to its loading position upon operation of a cassette ejecting means in the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional front operation type tape deck has a cassette holder or carriage generally referred to as a "kangaroo pocket" which is mounted in an opening formed in a front panel of the tape deck, with the kangaroo pocket type cassette holder having a size substantially equal to that of the opening. The cassette holder is usually rotatably mounted in the deck and is movable back and forth between a loading or eject position at which the cassette holder is inclined with respect to the front face of the tape deck to project outside of the opening, and an operating position at which the cassette holder is located within the deck opening in an upright position for recording and/or reproducing on a tape cassette therein. When a tape cassette is loaded in the cassette holder, the cassette is inserted into the slanted cassette holder at the loading and eject position thereof, and then the cassette holder is manually pushed into its operating position where it is locked in place. In this position the tape cassette is vertically positioned for a recording and/or reproducing operation.
In the usual apparatus of this type, movement of the cassette holder during a loading operation engages a spring in the tape deck which is engaged with the cassette holder for producing a spring force which will be used to return the cassette holder back to its loading position when an eject operation for the tape cassette is effected. For this purpose an eject button is usually provided on the front panel of the tape deck which controls a latching mechanism normally locking the cassette holder in its vertical position but releasing the holder when the button is pushed so that the cassette holder will automatically move back to its loading and eject position under the influence of the previously charged spring, whereby the tape cassette can be removed from the cassette holder.
Conventional tape decks of this type suffer from the disadvantage that the return speed of movement of the cassette holder from its operating position to its loading position, on ejection, is usually very fast, because of the spring force produced in the energized spring. Accordingly, the cassette holder moves back to the eject position almost instantaneously, and very impulsively, on operation of the eject button. As a result, if the operator is unfamiliar with the operation of the cassette holder, the conventional eject mechanism has the great danger that the cassette holder will collide unexpectedly with the hand of the operator on the eject movement and cause an injury. And, in addition, a very strong and jarring impulse is given to whole of the tape deck at the terminating point of the eject movement of the cassette holder when further movement of the holder under the influence of the spring is blocked. This impulse force has an undesirable influence on each part of the tape deck, and shortens the life of the tape deck, since each part of the deck will wear or get out of adjustment due to the vibrations accompanying the impulse.